All Day Interview!!!

[WannaB]

So, I've got an interview next week. I'm very excited.:D :D :D

It's an all day interview. Are interviews
normally all day? What all goes on?

Other advice: I'm female, can I wear a pants suit, or does it have to be a skirt?
I hate skirts.

[Trojan_Horse]

Yes, this is very normal. You will have several interviews with different people throughout the day and maybe a panel interview. You'll also be taken to lunch (this is more casual but is still part of the interview). You should get a schedule describing who you'll meet with and for how long. A pant suit is fine.

Good luck!

[WannaB]

Thanks! A panel? Well that sounds a bit intimidating.

[Trojan_Horse]

Oh yes, it is. I once had a panel interview with 8 people for an hour an a half.

[WannaB]

Oh yes, it is. I once had a panel interview with 8 people for an hour an a half.

OMG!! That doesn't sound fun. What did they ask you?

(here is WannaB picking Trojan_Horse's brain...:D )

[07Grad]

It could also be interviews with several different people. That's how mine was, 45 mins with person A, brief break, 45 mins with person B, brief break etc.

[Cici]

Please tell me those are not the interviews for the Entry-level job...:(

[Trojan_Horse]

Yes, entry level jobs. Companies take the hiring of actuarial students very seriously.

[mreevit]

Please tell me those are not the interviews for the Entry-level job...:(

don't worry they're not so bad. After you get through your first one you'll be fine for the rest.

[Sherylian]

All day interview will at least include a free lunch.... ;) hope it won't take that long in reality... in fact, my interviews are usually done within 5-6 hours...

And pants suit for females are just fine. You don't need to wear a skirt if you don't feel comfortable with it (actually I prefer to wear pants as well) Just make sure it's a matching suit, i.e. same color and style for your pants and jacket.
(I've seen people wearing different colors for their suits and pants; that is considered inappropriate for a formal interview)

Are you interviewing at a consulting firm or insurance firm?

[WannaB]

It could also be interviews with several different people. That's how mine was, 45 mins with person A, brief break, 45 mins with person B, brief break etc.

It looks like this is how it is going to be. It's scheduled for about 6 1/2 hrs, meeting mostly with individuals.

This is a entry-level position for an insurance firm. I ended up buying a suit with a skirt just to be on the safe side. While they were separates, they are of the same style and color. Just got to find a shirt to go under the jacket, and keep reading about typical interview questions. I guessing with all the different people I'm interviewing with I will get just about every typical interview question.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Thomas H]

Good luck!

[Cici]

Good luck to you!

[WannaB]

Thanks guys! It's not until the end of the week, but I promise to let you know how it goes.
(I'm a bit paranoid that someone who will be interviewing me is reading these posts...)

[Indy]

I'm in the same boat. I have a full day interview next week. Starting at 9am I have 4 interviews back to back and then a lunch break and then more interviews. One question I have though which someone might know is, on my interview itinerary it has a section called "Sample Questions" what is this? Is this going to be a test over my math skills?

[WannaB]

Whew. I made it through. It was a very long day, but I survived. I think it went pretty well. As can be expected I had some interivews that went better than others. One of them told me that he would be giving me his endorsement at the end of the interview. :smiloe: Unfortunately he isn't the hiring manager. :unsure:

They asked a lot of those, "Tell me about a time when..." I HATE those questions. It's really hard to think of good examples. Which ones did they ask? Think of any possible scenerio. They asked about it.

I was impressed with how friendly everyone seemed to be. I guess that bodes well for the working environment.

One thing that surprised me is that the exams are optional. They will support you and give raises if you decide to take them, but they aren't needed for promotion or any positions within the actuarial department. I guess that's why I was able to get the interview in the first place, since I haven't passed any exams yet.

Indy -- I didn't have a "Sample Questions" portion on my schedule, and I really don't have any idea what it is. Did someone in HR send you the schedule? If so, it would be fine to email them and ask what that portion is like.

[Thomas H]

It's good to hear it went well. I'm surprised that the exams are optional. When I interviewed at a retirement consulting firm they indicated that they wanted people to become credentialed. Specifically they needed people to become ASA's and EA's so that they could legally sign off on pension forms. I assumed that other actuarial areas were also interested in having their employees credentialed.

I too hate those behavioral questions. My answers always sound a bit too practiced to me.

[LostMyth]

Every interview I had involved behavioral questioning. If you don't want to sound practiced, don't practice and instead make a list of all the interesting experiences you've had. Go through and make sure you remember the details of each event. Most interviewers will give you a few seconds to think after they ask a behavioral question, and that'll give you more than enough time to run through your list and pick one that fits the question the best. You'll never be caught off guard, and you have some flexibility in your answers.

[Thomas H]

If you don't want to sound practiced, don't practice and instead make a list of all the interesting experiences you've had.

This goes against the advice of the interview books I checked out of the library. They all stated that you should practice out loud saying your responses to these types of questions.

[LostMyth]

This goes against the advice of the interview books I checked out of the library. They all stated that you should practice out loud saying your responses to these types of questions.

I didn't read any interview books, so I can't comment on their strategies, but obviously different approaches work well for different people. I suppose if one had absolutely no ability to think on one's feet, it may best to rehearse everything down to the last letter. Otherwise, I think it's best to treat interviewing like a conversation, albeit a formal one. The object is to show that you're someone people can work with on a daily basis. Will you be interesting or boring, proactive or complacent? I don't see how reciting scripted answers will help differentiate you from everyone else. The advantage of a flexible approach is that you can tailor your answer to the specific interview (relate current answers to previous answers) or interviewer (he/she mentioned that they didn't like a certain quality -- now you can avoid giving an answer where you displayed that quality).

This approach has worked extremely well for me -- I had several phone interviews, all but one which led to an invitation for an on-site interview. Every on-site interview I had led to an offer. My credentials on paper certainly weren't great (I didn't make it past the initial HR resume screening more times than I count). Because of this, I can only assume it's because of my interviewing approach that I was able to do well.

[Thomas H]

I didn't read any interview books, so I can't comment on their strategies, but obviously different approaches work well for different people. I suppose if one had absolutely no ability to think on one's feet, it may best to rehearse everything down to the last letter. Otherwise, I think it's best to treat interviewing like a conversation, albeit a formal one. The object is to show that you're someone people can work with on a daily basis. Will you be interesting or boring, proactive or complacent? I don't see how reciting scripted answers will help differentiate you from everyone else. The advantage of a flexible approach is that you can tailor your answer to the specific interview (relate current answers to previous answers) or interviewer (he/she mentioned that they didn't like a certain quality -- now you can avoid giving an answer where you displayed that quality).

I certainly understand your argument for spontaneity. However, after being in Toastmasters for 3 years I have seen that there are lots of people who are not very quick at thinking on their feet and coming up with a good answer on the spur of the moment. I am one of those people who needs to ponder for a while.

The other thing about practicing speaking your answers out loud is that you become more comfortable saying them and the answers should start to feel more natural. It also helps those people who tend to get very nervous in these types of situations because they feel better prepared if they already have some set answers.

[WannaB]

Never mind.